Where Parallels Meet
by Annie Barde
Summary: Susannah McDonald has some questions for her mother Casey about her father. All the answers will be revealed if she stays close.
1. Prologue

**A/N: If I owned Life with Derek, it would be called "Derek's Inner Thoughts...On Casey." LOL. **

_Prologue_

_The brown haired woman and her blond haired daughter held hands as they walked up the stairs to the door of the two story house. The little girl tugged on her mother's shirt. _

"_Mommy, why are we here?"_

_Her mother smiled gently. "We're here to see Grandmother Nora and Grandfather George."_

_What she didn't expect was her step-brother, Derek, to show up at the front door when she knocked._

"_Casey?" Derek asked incredulously. "What are you doing here?"_

"_What are you doing here?" Casey asked back in the same tone. _

"_Uh, Case. I still have a room here." Derek said, noticing the little girl at Casey's side for the first time. Changing his manner abruptly, he said politely, "Won't you come in?"_

_Nora and George were in the kitchen when they noticed Casey and her daughter. Nora leaped up to give her daughter a hug and George followed. _

"_Casey," Nora murmured against her hair. "It's been too long." _

_Casey stepped back and looked at her mother. "I know, Mom." _

_Seeing Derek at the doorway, Casey whispered, "Mom? Take Susie into the basement with George, will you?" _

"_Of course," Nora said, without noting the name choice of Casey's daughter. Together, she and George took Susie down into the basement. _

"_Casey." Derek said coming up to her. "Why are you here?"_

"_I need to tell you something, Derek." Casey replied._

"_Uh-oh. That doesn't sound good." Derek said looking at her face. _

"_It's not." _

"_Casey, you haven't been here in five years. You do realize that?"_

"_No, it slipped my mind." said Casey sarcastically._

"_Why didn't you tell me that you had a daughter?" Derek asked._

"_I don't know." Casey admitted. "I was scared. Five years ago, I gave birth to Susannah and had to raise her on my own. It was so difficult, Derek. I didn't want to give her up for adoption. Or…"_

_Derek nodded. "Why didn't you come here when you had the chance?"_

"_I was taking responsibility for my actions." Casey said simply._

_Derek was quiet. _

_Then…_

"_Who's Susannah's father?"_

_Casey sighed. _

"_It's Sam."_


	2. Revelations

**A/N: Dive into Susannah's world...**

Chapter 1: Revelations

The 21-year-old blond haired woman stood on the porch of the two story house. This was it. The shared driveway, the two houses. It was all there.

Knocking on the door, Susannah stepped back and waited for someone to answer.

A woman with coffee colored skin and deep brown eyes came to the door.

"Hello." she said politely. "May I help you?"

"You don't remember me, do you?" Susannah queried.

"Oh, my." Emily Shlepper eyes widened at the sight of the young woman.

"Yes." Susannah said with a nod of her head. "It's me. Susannah McDonald."

"Casey's daughter." Emily said, smiling. "Well, it's certainly been a long time."

"Sixteen years." Susannah confirmed.

"Would you like to come in?" Emily asked.

Susannah stepped into the foyer, taking in her surroundings. "This is lovely house."

"Thank you." Emily said. "It was my parents'. My husband Sheldon and I moved in here with our children when my parents and my brother Dimi moved to the States."

"How old are they? Your children, I mean."

"They're around your age. Rebecca is 20 and Kyle is about to graduate high school."

"Oh." Susannah looked at the pictures on the walls as they went into the kitchen, where Emily poured her a cup of tea.

"So…" Susannah said as they sat down. "What was I like when I first met you?"

Emily smiled across the table. "You were about five years old. Your mother brought you over to my house and you played with Rebecca. You were instant friends."

"I don't remember." Susannah said regretfully. "I'm sorry."

"I wouldn't expect you to remember, Susannah. After that day, Casey left town again."

"And that's how I was raised in Toronto." Susannah realized.

"Yes." Emily nodded. "Susannah…does your mother know you're in London?"

"No." Susannah answered. "She doesn't. Besides, I'm sure Derek and her are too busy with their own family to care."

"I'm sure that's not true." Emily said kindly. "What do you call Derek anyway?"

"What do you mean?"

"How is he related to you?"

"Well, he was my mother's step-brother, right? That would make him my step-uncle, right? And then she married him years later, making him my…step-father?"

Emily shook her head. "I don't think so, sweetie. Your parents were never married."

"What?" Susannah asked.

"Honey, you do know who your father is?"

"It's Sam." Susannah whispered.

"How did you know that?"

"I found the letters at my mom's house in Toronto. The letters explaining to him that I was his daughter."

Emily was silent.

"So Casey and Sam were never married." Susannah said after awhile.

"They thought about it after they rekindled their relationship after college. But then they had you. Casey was worried out of her mind. She took off, leaving your father, and raised you all by herself in a small apartment in Toronto."

"And then…?"

"Casey came back to London when you were five; she took you to see Derek. And your grandparents, Nora and George. You really don't remember?"

Susannah shook her head.

"Anyway, after she told me about you, she took off again, taking you to Toronto and raising you until now. I got an invitation to your graduation. Everyone did. That was the last time we heard from your mother."

"Wow…" Susannah whistled. "My mother never stroked me as the silent type."

"She wasn't." Emily replied. "Actually, she was quite a drama queen."

Susannah stared at the table.

"You look so much like Sam." Emily said. "You really do."

Susannah didn't know how to react to that.

"I think you should see your mother. And Derek. And your sisters."

"My sisters." Susannah muttered. "If that's even what they're called."

Emily smiled knowingly. "You're family is a crazy one."

Susannah sighed. "You're telling me. I think I will go over there. I have some things to ask my mother."


End file.
